Central Ozarks Medical Center: November 2017

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

November is National COPD Awareness Month

It's National COPD Awareness Month. According to Healthline, in 2010 alone, COPD claimed 134,676 lives. Chronic bronchitis is a type of COPD and 10 million Americans had it in 2011. COPD is a serious disease and clearly affects a lot of people. In honor of National COPD Awareness Month, our mid-Missouri health clinics are here to help spread awareness about COPD. We found this great article by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute that strongly explains what COPD is and what can cause it.

Source: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/copd/

What Is COPD?

Also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; chronic bronchitis; or emphysema.

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. Progressive means the disease gets worse over time.

COPD can cause coughing that produces large amounts of a slimy substance called mucus, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Most people who have COPD smoke or used to smoke. However, up to 25 percent of people with COPD never smoked. Long-term exposure to other lung irritants—such as air pollution, chemical fumes, or dusts—also may contribute to COPD. A rare genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency can also cause the disease.

Overview

To understand COPD, it helps to understand how the lungs work. The air that you breathe goes down your windpipe into tubes in your lungs called bronchial tubes or airways.

Within the lungs, your bronchial tubes branch many times into thousands of smaller, thinner tubes called bronchioles. These tubes end in bunches of tiny round air sacs called alveoli.

Small blood vessels called capillaries run along the walls of the air sacs. When air reaches the air sacs, oxygen passes through the air sac walls into the blood in the capillaries. At the same time, a waste product, called carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, moves from the capillaries into the air sacs. This process, called gas exchange, brings in oxygen for the body to use for vital functions and removes the CO2.

The airways and air sacs are elastic or stretchy. When you breathe in, each air sac fills up with air, like a small balloon. When you breathe out, the air sacs deflate and the air goes out.

In COPD, less air flows in and out of the airways because of one or more of the following:

The airways and air sacs lose their elastic quality.
The walls between many of the air sacs are destroyed.
The walls of the airways become thick and inflamed.
The airways make more mucus than usual and can become clogged.

Our health clinics at the Lake of the Ozarks hope you found this article enlightening. We also want you to know the symptoms of COPD.

COPD Symptoms

Symptoms of COPD include:

Wheezing
Tightness of chest
Lack of energy
Shortness of breath
Blueness of lips
Swelling of ankles
Unintended weight loss
Clearing of throat due to excess mucus in lungs
Frequent respiratory infections
A chronic cough where mucus may be produced

Get Healthy With Central Ozarks Medical Center

Our health clinics at the Lake of the Ozarks hope you enjoyed this article. If you ever feel like you may have one of the symptoms of COPD listed above, consult with an experienced healthcare provider in Camden County. If you ever have any questions regarding your healthcare, call one of our clinics listed below.

Central Ozarks Medical Center
Keeping Lack of Insurance From Being a Roadblock to Quality Healthcare

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573.765.5141 -- Richland
573.302.7490 -- Osage Beach
573.346.4446 -- Camdenton
573.317.9200 -- Stone Castle
573.765.2510 -- Dental

Serving Camdenton, Laclede, Pulaski, and Miller Counties

Friday, November 17, 2017

Healthy Eating Around The Holidays

Thanksgiving is next week and Christmas won't be far behind. The holiday season has officially arrived. With the holidays brings some very delicious holiday dishes. While some of these dishes can be very tasty, there could be healthier options available that are just as tasty. Our health clinics at the Lake of the Ozarks are here to give you a comparison of a couple of holiday recipes we have found.

Sweet Potato Casserole vs. Green Bean

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/sweet-potato-casserole-3364945

Sweet Potato Casserole

Total:45 min Prep: 15 min Cook: 30 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Level: Easy
Ingredients

Filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering the baking dish
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (3 to 4 large potatoes; about 1 3/4 pounds)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Special equipment: a 2-quart baking dish

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 2-quart baking dish.

Whisk together the butter, mashed sweet potatoes, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and the eggs in a large bowl. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

For the topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, butter and salt in a medium bowl until moist and the mixture clumps together. Stir in the pecans and spread over the top of the sweet potatoes in an even layer. Bake until mostly set in the center and golden on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/green-bean-casserole-slimmed-recipe-2009016

Green Bean Casserole - Slimmed

Total:1 hr 5 minPrep: 45 minCook: 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

3 to 4 medium shallots, in their skins
Kosher salt, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
1 pound fresh green beans, stemmed, and halved crosswise
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mushroom, vegetable, or chicken broth (see Cook's Note)
3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable cooking spray
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the shallots (in their skins) on a small baking dish, roast until soft, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, skin and coarsely chop the shallots. Set aside.

Bring a medium-large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add kosher salt, to taste. Add the green beans, and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander and rinse with cold water. Transfer the beans to a large bowl.

In the same saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season with 1 teaspoon salt, cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the beans.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until golden, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the shallots, 1 teaspoon of the thyme, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir to combine evenly.

Spray a 2-quart baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Transfer the vegetable mixture to the pan. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of thyme to bread crumbs and scatter over the vegetables. Bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the crumbs brown, about 20 minutes.

Cook's Note

There has been an explosion of prepared broths on the market. We particularly like the mushroom broth in the aseptic packaging. However, for this recipe, make sure you don't use an Asian-style mushroom broth. If you can't find mushroom, a vegetable or chicken broth is a suitable substitute.

When sauteing mushrooms, salt them right away--they will release moisture and you can use less oil - 1 cup fresh bread crumbs has less calories than 1 cup dried - Roasting whole shallots is an excellent way to cook them using absolutely no fat.

The Comparison

Let's look at what's actually in these 2 recipes. While the sweet potato recipe sounds delicious, you're looking at a high calorie side dish. The pecan topping alone brings a ton of calories to this recipe, most likely over 500 just in the topping. According to the Food Network, the green bean casserole only holds 187 calories per serving and that's the entire dish. Who doesn't love a good green bean casserole?

We hope you enjoyed these two delicious recipes and the comparison. Central Ozarks Medical Center wishes everyone a very happy holiday season. Our health clinics in mid-Missouri operate with the goal to lead the way to healthier communities. That starts with just one healthy eater at a time.

Central Ozarks Medical Center
Keeping Lack of Insurance From Being a Roadblock to Quality Healthcare

Friday, November 10, 2017

November is National Diabetes Month

November is National Diabetes Month. According to the Centers Disease Control and Prevention, 29 million Americans have diabetes and 1 in 4 don't know. These numbers are hard to see, but they are true. In honor of National Diabetes Month, our health clinics at the Lake of the Ozarks would like to bring more awareness to diabetes. Central Ozarks Medical Center is here to give you some important information regarding diabetes, including more diabetes statistics and some key symptoms that could show someone might have diabetes.

Important Diabetes Statistics

Source: Centers Disease Control and Prevention

Key findings from the National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014 (based on health data from 2012), include:

29 million people in the United States (9.3 percent) have diabetes.
1.7 million people aged 20 years or older were newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2012.
Non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native adults are about twice as likely to have diagnosed diabetes as non-Hispanic white adults.
208,000 people younger than 20 years have been diagnosed with diabetes (type 1 or type 2).
86 million adults aged 20 years and older have prediabetes.
The percentage of U.S. adults with prediabetes is similar for non-Hispanic whites (35 percent), non-Hispanic blacks (39 percent), and Hispanics (38 percent).

Diabetes is a serious disease that can be managed through physical activity, diet, and appropriate use of insulin and oral medications to lower blood sugar levels. Another important part of diabetes management is reducing other cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and tobacco use.

Symptoms of Diabetes

Before we give the symptoms of diabetes, we must first distinguish a difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes, otherwise known as juvenile diabetes, can't produce insulin. People with type 2 diabetes aren't able to use insulin the right way, which can lead to an insulin deficiency.

Source: American Heart Association

Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms

Blurred vision
Unusual weight loss
Increased urination
Increased fatigue
Increased appetite
In certain cases, there are no symptoms
Fruity breath or odor

Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms

Sores that won't heal
In certain cases, no symptoms
Fatigue
Increased appetite
Increased thirst
Weight loss
Blurred vision
Increased urination, especially at night

Central Ozarks Medical Center, Leading the Way to Healthier Communities

We here at our Mid-Missouri health clinics strive to increase access to comprehensive primary and preventative health care and to improve the healthcare status of underserved and vulnerable populations in Camden, Laclede, Miller and Pulaski Counties. We believe in providing quality healthcare to patients with or without health insurance. We offer a sliding fee scale based on family size and income. We offer a wide variety of services and have been providing quality healthcare in Missouri since 1979. To schedule an appointment, call one of our locations listed below.

Central Ozarks Medical Center
Keeping Lack of Insurance From Being a Roadblock to Quality Healthcare

Friday, November 3, 2017

Dental Care at the Lake of the Ozarks You Can Trust

Having a dentist at the Lake of the Ozarks you can trust is vital! A dentist is someone you will want to visit on a regular basis, so you need to feel confident in what they are doing. Central Ozarks Medical Center is here to give you a few reasons why you need to visit the dentist on a regular basis and some information regarding the dental services we have available for you here at the Lake of the Ozarks area.

Reasons Why You Need to Visit the Dentist on a Regular Basis

1. Helps prevent major oral issues

If your teeth go unchecked for so long, there is a possibility you could have a major oral issue forming, such as:

Oral cancer
Gengivitis
Dental cavities
Tooth loss
Bacteria or viral infections

2. To keep your teeth clean

Brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day helps to keep your teeth clean, but having a dental professional clean your teeth every 6 months or so is good idea. A dentist can show you the proper way to clean your teeth and perhaps help you to get those spots you have been missing.

3. Gives support on keeping your bad oral habits in check

There are many bad habits that people can tend to have when it comes to their oral health, including:

Chewing ice
Grinding your teeth
Eating hard sweets
Drinking red wine
Drinking coffee
Biting your nails
Smoking

These bad habits can lead to bigger issues. If you visit a dentist on a regular basis, the dentist can help treat those issues for you.

Dental Services at the Lake of the Ozarks

Our Richland Dental Center offers family dentistry, pediatric dentistry, and dentures/restorative services. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our Richland Dental Center is located at 304 W. Washington Ave. in Richland, MO. We have 3 oral health providers including Shayna Mattox, DDS, Evan Reynolds, DDS, and Kyle Shull, DDS.

Dr. Mattox is part of the American Dental Association, Missouri Dental Association, and the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Mattox enjoys spending free time at the lake boating, water skiing and relaxing with Dustin and their German Shepherd rescue, Sophie. Dr. Reynolds is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry as well as a member of the Central Dental Association, Missouri Dental Association and American Dental Association and has a professional working proficiency in Spanish. Dr. Shull loves helping his patients with all their dental needs, from getting out of pain to improving their smile. He enjoys treating people of all ages, from children to adults.

Each of our dental providers enjoy what they do. Bringing more shining smiles to the Lake of the Ozarks area is their goal. To schedule an appointment with one of our dental providers in Richland, MO, call 573-765-2510.

Central Ozarks Medical Center
Keeping Lack of Insurance From Being a Roadblock to Quality Healthcare